Behind the Wheel with Phil Lebeau

Are Toyota Complaints Real Life Horror Stories or Over-Sensitive Hype?

Nobody wants to say it publicly, but the talk is definitely out there.

Toyota car grille
Getty Images

I hear it from mechanics, auto industry executives, and insurance industry veterans.

What they all say goes something like this; "There's no way all of these complaints about Toyota's suddenly speeding up are legitimate."

I heard it again this morning after reporting on Toyota owners complaining of unintended acceleration even AFTER their vehicle had been repaired.

NHTSA now has 15 complaints alleging fixed Toyota's are still surging.

NHTSA has been in touch with some of the people who have filed this type of complaint and there's no doubt the feds are worried.

And for good reason.

These complaints of cars with fixed gas pedals suddenly surging raises the question of whether there's a problem in the electronics of Toyota models, something Toyota vehemently denies is likely.

Nobody wants to publicly say the Toyota owners filing complaints about unintended acceleration are to blame. But quietly, I hear what people in the industry are saying. Even those who are not with Toyota have said to me they think it's odd there have been a slew of complaints all of a sudden.

  • Is it possible some Toyota drivers are hypersensitive to the idea their car will speed up?
  • Is it possible some of these people hit the gas instead of the brake?

Absolutely it is, but determining what's a legit complaint won't be easy.

Make no mistake, when you look at the overall data and some of the horrific crashes like the one in San Diego last fall; something is causing Toyota's to speed up unintentionally.

Nobody is suggesting unintended acceleration doesn't exist.

The question is to what extent and whether everyone who says their car or truck suddenly surged forward are accurately reporting what happened?

Let me know what you think.

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